Suspension-A-Thon Update
06-30-2005, 05:51 AM
#1
AudiWorld Super User
Thread Starter
Suspension-A-Thon Update
How long does it take to remove the upper pinch bolt???? This isn't Martin's car, but it's the same one:
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/75436/100_1421.jpg">
About 1.3 hours on the first one and about 1 hour on the second one.....both had to be drilled out....have a few tricks I will post later.
So Yesterday I spent over 8 hours.....left side.....all control arms, pinch bolt (which was drilled out on the work bench), front axle, tie rod end, cleaned all the grease up from a torn CV boot, replaced the stock spring and strut from to Bilstein sport/S8 spring, new brake pads and bleed the brake fluid.
Then Martin came over and I took the whole other side out....spent about 45 minutes removing the pinch bolt on the other spindle on the work bench, drilled a hole in the side of it (will post a picture) by mistake.
Quit. Started at 7 A.M. and finished at about 7:30 P.M. but was checking email, did a parts run, etc. About 8 hours total.
This morning I got the bolt off and took the spring off, now to reassemble everything on the right side.
Then to do the rear brakes and springs/struts, then hopefully get it to Chicago Performance and Tuning tonight for an alignment first thing in the morning.....plus I have to do the PS fluid flush and change the plugs......
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/75436/100_1421.jpg">
About 1.3 hours on the first one and about 1 hour on the second one.....both had to be drilled out....have a few tricks I will post later.
So Yesterday I spent over 8 hours.....left side.....all control arms, pinch bolt (which was drilled out on the work bench), front axle, tie rod end, cleaned all the grease up from a torn CV boot, replaced the stock spring and strut from to Bilstein sport/S8 spring, new brake pads and bleed the brake fluid.
Then Martin came over and I took the whole other side out....spent about 45 minutes removing the pinch bolt on the other spindle on the work bench, drilled a hole in the side of it (will post a picture) by mistake.
Quit. Started at 7 A.M. and finished at about 7:30 P.M. but was checking email, did a parts run, etc. About 8 hours total.
This morning I got the bolt off and took the spring off, now to reassemble everything on the right side.
Then to do the rear brakes and springs/struts, then hopefully get it to Chicago Performance and Tuning tonight for an alignment first thing in the morning.....plus I have to do the PS fluid flush and change the plugs......
06-30-2005, 06:05 AM
#2
AudiWorld Super User
Paul, I'm sure you would agree (I posted this before too) - I would strongly recommend soaking these
overnight and trying to remove them as step one. That way you can determine whether you'll need to drill them out. I think I was the first one to get burned by these bastards and there have been a couple of people since. I'm suggesting try these first, so that if they are seized, you can make the decision on whether to keep going or not and not have everything ripped apart. Same applies for the tie rods although I have been lucky with those myself.
Bob
Bob
06-30-2005, 12:46 PM
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I've done the suspension enough times, and tried many different ways of
removing that stupid pinch bolt, and by far the best way is to drill it out - not with a titanium bit, but with cobalt drill bits. Got it from Home Depot as recommended by a salesguy at Checkers. Cuts thru like buttah. A couple of friends tried doing theirs with titanium bits, and both took longer than me. I just used a 12V cordless drill.
06-30-2005, 01:32 PM
#6
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Thread Starter
4:15 P.M. Done
What a real bitch, but I did manage to get one of the S8 rear springs in without even compressing it.
The pads were down to less than 1/16" so it's so damn hard to get the pistons back in.
I worked all day with 1/2 hour lunch and 1/2 in breaks......
My thoughts: find a mechanic to do your work.....I'm just doing this to pay for my Fiske wheel problemo......
Now for the shake down cruise and bring it over to Al's for alignment.
The pads were down to less than 1/16" so it's so damn hard to get the pistons back in.
I worked all day with 1/2 hour lunch and 1/2 in breaks......
My thoughts: find a mechanic to do your work.....I'm just doing this to pay for my Fiske wheel problemo......
Now for the shake down cruise and bring it over to Al's for alignment.
06-30-2005, 06:06 PM
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I tried *EVERYTHING* including torches
on one of those pinch bolts, and even after giving up and drilling a hole through the center of it, I still had to beat the **** out of it with a cold chisel.
The pinch bolt on the other side appears free - that is, a wrench on the nut will turn the whole bolt. That's a good thing, because I'm planning to do that CV joint boot tomorrow. I have no idea why one would freeze up and the other not.
I once saw a "chatter" tool which I think was an air tool, not electric. The point was to put this on a frozen fastener and let it just keep vibrating, and not really try to force the bolt free all at once. Seems like a good idea.
The pinch bolt on the other side appears free - that is, a wrench on the nut will turn the whole bolt. That's a good thing, because I'm planning to do that CV joint boot tomorrow. I have no idea why one would freeze up and the other not.
I once saw a "chatter" tool which I think was an air tool, not electric. The point was to put this on a frozen fastener and let it just keep vibrating, and not really try to force the bolt free all at once. Seems like a good idea.
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07-01-2005, 05:01 AM
#9
Yeah, sometimes the opportunity cost of your time out weighs the labor costs of a mechanic....unless
you are a glutton for punishment. Oh yeah...we all own D2s, we are all glutton for punishment and should go to counseling for being this stubborn (or stupid?). Hey at least the job is done and you can enjoy your A8 for another few weeks before it decides it needs more time and money! ;-)
07-01-2005, 05:09 AM
#10
This is the weirdest issue throughout all of the cars.
No matter what the mileage, year, or location, there seems to be no pattern to who can get their bolt out easy or not. I personally took like 2 hours just to pound out the bolts. I used a screwdriver to insert in the hole and pounded it out. Of course I mushroomed the head and this was the night before a big pitch to a new client (I always seem to have the worst timing). Here I am, sitting in my garage at 11pm wondering if I have to take a cab in the morning! Luckily, I used the dremel to grind a chamfer on the ends and thread the nut back on. The SOB of a bolt slides in freely back and forth once the damn thing comes out. One tip is to wedge a thick flat screwdriver into the slots to expand the pinch a little to help the bolt free. Good luck to anyone attempting this maintenance.